| The purpose of the public meeting is 
			to present the preliminary Downtown Redevelopment Plan to residents, 
			local business owners and community leaders. The plan focuses on the 
			downtown business environment, including a land-use plan, and an 
			economic development and business plan. All residents are 
			encouraged to attend this public informational meeting. The planning team is also in the process of developing a Downtown 
			Revitalization Plan which makes recommendations on specific physical 
			improvements to downtown Lincoln, including streetscape 
			improvements, a conceptual plan for the public parks and courthouse 
			square, parking and traffic plans, historical façade improvements, 
			and a historical preservation plan. Information about the Downtown Revitalization Plan will presented 
			at a second public informational meeting at a later date. An 
			announcement regarding the second informational meeting will be 
			provided in the local news media and on the project website:
			
			http://explorelogancounty.com/DowntownLincolnStudy.
 
 
	
			 Atlanta 
	Public Library's writing group continues in January 
	ATLANTA -- Following its 
	popular memoir workshop with Terri Ryburn in November, the Atlanta Public 
	Library continues its adult creative writing program in January with "Yes, 
	You Can Write!" With the goal of keeping its writers group together and 
	adding new people, the library will offer five Thursday evening sessions at 
	the library on a variety of topics that will appeal to fiction and 
	nonfiction interests alike.  The workshop is designed for people 
			who enjoy writing already, those who have always wanted to try their 
			hand at it or even people who think they can't write at all! Come 
			and be surprised by what you can do. Participants will explore a 
			wide range of writing techniques, share their stories with others 
			and enjoy the support of their fellow writers. 
			"Yes, You Can Write!" is recommended 
			for age 18 and older. Sessions take place from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the 
			library. Scheduled topics are "Finding Your Inspiration," Jan. 17; 
			"Setting the Landscape," Feb. 21; "All About Character," March 21; 
			"The Tricks of Dialogue," April 25; and "The Basics of Plot," May 9. While people may come to as many 
			sessions as they like, the library recommends signing up for all 
			five sessions in order to help create a nurturing and safe 
			environment in which people feel free to experiment and share their 
			work. 
            There is a small fee for the workshop. 
			For more information, contact the library at 217-648-2112 or visit 
			the website, 
			http://www.apldinfo.org/. 
 
	
			
			 Rita 
	Wells: January Employee of the Month at Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital 
	Rita Wells of Lincoln has been named the 
	January Employee of the Month at Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital. She 
	works as an accounting and payroll technologist. 
			"Rita makes ALMH a great place to work 
			by her attitude, cooperation and willingness to go the extra mile," 
			said co-worker Les Richert, who nominated Wells for the honor. "She 
			is always ready to assist with solving problems and providing needed 
			information.  Regardless of the nature and complexity of the 
			issue, she always makes you feel like you are the most important 
			task at hand and is focused on your answer. She is always friendly, 
			helpful, empathetic and professional. She makes many other people's 
			jobs easier because she does hers so well." 
			Wells was born in Hopedale but has 
			lived in Lincoln for 10 years and has been employed by Abraham 
			Lincoln Memorial Hospital for 18 years. She enjoys her work at ALMH 
			because of her co-workers. "I think ALMH has the best group of 
			people," she said. "They are fun to work with, and they all truly 
			care about their jobs and the people they serve. I couldn't find a 
			nicer place to work." 
            She also enjoys the variety she sees 
			in her accounting work. "Every day brings something new," she said. 
			"There is always a project going on that has a deadline. I enjoy the 
			fast pace and busy work environment." 
            ALMH is a 25-bed critical-access 
			hospital located at 200 Stahlhut Drive in Lincoln and affiliated 
			with Memorial Health System. ALMH employs 315 in a variety of roles. 
			For more information about ALMH, visit
			www.almh.org. 
 
	
			
			 LAMS 
	rehearsals for spring concert begin Feb. 5 
	The chorale of the Lincoln 
	Area Music Society will soon begin rehearsals for the spring concert with 
	the orchestra. The first rehearsal will be on Tuesday, Feb. 5, at 7 p.m. at 
	St. John Church of Christ. The group will be under the direction 
			of Tim Searby and will be accompanied by Kay Dobson. 
			The combined concert will be at the 
			Lincoln Community High School auditorium on Saturday, April 13, at 7 
			p.m. and Sunday, April 14, at 2 p.m. The chorale will do arrangements of 
			show tunes, classical, sacred, patriotic music and a hilarious 
			arrangement about Beethoven. Everyone from high school on up is 
			welcome to join the chorale. For more information, contact Tim 
			Searby at 
			tsearby@heritageofcare.com. 
 
	
			
			 Blood 
			drive Thursday at Elkhart Christian Church 
	ELKHART -- To help ensure 
	an adequate blood supply for the region, Elkhart Christian Church, 113 S. 
	Gillett, is hosting a blood drive on the Central Illinois Community Blood 
	Center donor bus on Thursday, Jan. 17, from 3 to 6 p.m. 
            For your convenience, call Lucille to 
			sign up at 947-2702 or schedule an appointment online using sponsor 
			code 60017 at 
			www.bloodcenterimpact.org. Walk-ins are also welcome and truly 
			appreciated. 
			 Central Illinois Community Blood 
			Center, a not-for-profit organization, is the provider of lifesaving 
			blood for 14 hospitals throughout central Illinois, including 
			Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital in Lincoln and Memorial Medical 
			Center and St. John's Hospital in Springfield. CICBC is a division 
			of the Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center, which collects over 
			180,000 units of blood annually and serves 87 hospitals in Illinois, 
			Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin. 
 
	
			
			 Jo 
	Small Hilliard named administrator at Christian Village 
	Jo Small Hilliard has been named the new 
	administrator at The Christian Village. She returns to the senior living 
	community after a 19-year absence. She began as the activity director, 
	leaving to join the ministry at Jefferson Street Christian Church as office 
	manager in 1994. 
			 Hilliard returned to Christian Homes 
			Inc. in 2004 to work in human resources in the corporate office. She 
			quickly took on additional roles in project management and policy 
			coordination. She most recently served as administrator at the 
			Vonderlieth Living Center in Mount Pulaski. 
			Originally from Tuscola, Hilliard is a 
			graduate of Lincoln Christian University and comes from several 
			generations of preachers. She served overseas as a missionary in 
			Hong Kong and a teacher of English in mainland China. She lives in 
			Mount Pulaski with her husband of 19 years, Jack Hilliard, and their 
			two children, Miranda and John.  "I felt the Lord's guidance in 
			accepting the position of administrator at The Christian Village," 
			she said. "I look forward to the training I'll receive as well as 
			the opportunity to reach out to the churches and community 
			supporters.  
	"The Christian Village has a fine tradition of 
	providing not only quality nursing care to residents, but also care for the 
	soul, heart and mind. My goal is to continue in this strong tradition and, 
	along with my co-workers, strive to improve our mission to the community." 
 
	
			
			 Logan County Natural Hazard Mitigation 
	Planning Committee will meet Thursday 
	Steps to prevent injuries 
	and deaths while maintaining vital services for Logan County residents when 
	floods and severe storms hit will be discussed when the Logan County Natural 
	Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee meets on Thursday, Jan. 17, at 4 p.m. at the 
	Public Safety Complex, 911 Pekin St. in Lincoln. Meetings of the committee 
	are open to the public. 
            This committee began work in August to prepare a plan that will 
			identify projects and activities to protect Logan County residents 
			and property from storms and other natural disasters. This plan, 
			unlike all other emergency plans, is aimed at identifying projects 
			and activities that can be taken before these disasters occur.
			
			 "Other emergency plans are directed at responding after a storm 
			or natural disaster hits. This is the first time in Logan County 
			that we are looking at actions that can reduce or eliminate damages 
			caused by specific types of storms and other natural disasters," 
			said Dan Fulscher, director of the Logan County Emergency Management 
			Agency. Atlanta, Broadwell, Elkhart, Emden, Hartsburg, Lincoln and Mount 
			Pulaski are participating in this planning process. Building storm shelters, resolving drainage problems, and 
			retrofitting water supplies and other critical facilities to better 
			withstand natural disasters are a few examples of the kinds of 
			projects that might be included in the plan. Developing public 
			information materials and conducting drainage studies are examples 
			of other activities that might also be included in the Natural 
			Hazard Mitigation Plan. 
"Developing a plan that is approved by the Federal 
	Emergency Management Agency will help all the participating jurisdictions 
	become eligible for state and federal grant money," added Terry Storer, 
	committee chairman.  
 [to top of second 
			column] | 
 
 
			 Logan 
	County Genealogical & Historical Society program schedule, Jan.-March 
	The Logan County Genealogical & Historical 
	Society has scheduled the following programs for the first quarter of the 
	year: 
				
				Jan. 21 -- 
				"History Comes Alive in Logan County!" presented by Anne 
				Moseley, assistant director of the Lincoln Heritage Museum at 
				Lincoln College. Ms. Moseley will explain a nationally 
				recognized certification program for historic interpretation, 
				the benefits of incorporating interpreters into tourism and 
				educational events, and describe training that is under 
				development at the museum and will be available to community 
				members. 
				Feb. 18 -- Black 
				History Month will be recognized with a program involving 
				historic Allen Chapel, which has experienced restoration and 
				upgrades over the last year. The program will feature the 
				portrayal of at least one individual from the African-American 
				history of Logan County or central Illinois. 
				March 18 -- 
				Historians from Mount Pulaski and Elkhart will come together to 
				present a biography and stories of Elkhart resident Adam Henry 
				Bogardus, a Civil War officer, local legend, inventor and 
				world-renowned sharpshooter. Phil Bertoni and Gillette Ransom 
				will discuss the Logan County man, his family and his life's 
				achievements.  
 
			
			 Seasonal 
	weight limits on Logan County highways begin Jan. 20 
	During the winter months, soils will freeze 
	and thaw repeatedly. This can cause problems for local roadways that are not 
	designed to support heavy traffic. Heavy loads during these freeze-thaw 
	cycles can cause significant damage. Beginning Jan. 20, the seasonal weight limits will be in effect on 
			all Logan County highways. These roads are marked with five-sided 
			blue signs and are posted with weight limit signs. Any vehicle in 
			excess of the weight limits needs to have a permit issued by the 
			Logan County Highway Department. 
			Permits are available by visiting
			
			www.co.logan.il.us/highwaydept, by calling the highway 
			department office at 217-732-3059 or by visiting the office at 529 
			S. McLean St. in Lincoln. There is no charge for the permits. 
			Permits will be valid only on certain days when conditions are 
			suitable. Hauling on township roads in Logan County during this time period 
			will need to be coordinated with the respective township road 
			commissioner.  Again this year, the highway department is asking for cooperation 
			to help keep our roads in good condition.For your convenience, call Lucille to 
			sign up at 947-2702 or schedule an appointment online using sponsor 
			code 60017 at 
			www.bloodcenterimpact.org. Walk-ins are also welcome and truly 
			appreciated. Central Illinois Community Blood 
			Center, a not-for-profit organization, is the provider of lifesaving 
			blood for 14 hospitals throughout central Illinois, including 
			Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital in Lincoln and Memorial Medical 
			Center and St. John's Hospital in Springfield. CICBC is a division 
			of the Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center, which collects over 
			180,000 units of blood annually and serves 87 hospitals in Illinois, 
			Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin. 
 
			
			 HSLC 
			board election Jan. 30 A general membership meeting of the Humane Society of Logan 
			County will be on Jan. 30 in the Steinfort Room at Abraham Lincoln 
			Memorial Hospital, 200 Stahlhut Drive. The annual election for three seats on the board of directors of 
			the Humane Society of Logan County will be at this meeting. Anyone who is current with their dues and has been a member for 
			at least three months prior to the election may declare their intent 
			to seek election to the board of directors. If you are interested in 
			serving on the board, you may send a letter of intent to the board 
			secretary, Wanda Stevens, at 
			wstevens@ccaonline.com. 
 
			 Atlanta 
			Betterment Fund board introduces 'Rt. 66 Reinterpreted' Art Project ATLANTA -- In celebration of Route 66 and all it stands for, 
			Atlanta -- located on the Mother Road, midway between Chicago and 
			St. Louis -- announces its first "Rt. 66 Reinterpreted" Art Project.
			 Modeled on Chicago's "Cows on Parade" exhibit, the Rt. 66 
			Reinterpreted project presents artists the opportunity to create 
			their own take on one of the 20th century's most iconic and 
			recognizable symbols: the U.S. Route 66 highway shield.  Participating artists will be provided a blank, 2-foot-by-2-foot 
			wooden cutout of the Route 66 sign, painted white, which will then 
			become their personal canvas. The only requirement in creating a 
			reinterpreted shield is to incorporate the text "Illinois U.S. 66" 
			somewhere on the face of the shield, in whatever size, shape or 
			color the artist desires. Everything else about the design, style, 
			background and color of the reinterpreted shield is left to each 
			artist's imagination and creativity. The project is open to anyone 16 years old and above. Up to 50 
			entries will be accepted in this year's project, as determined by 
			the date applications are received. All 50 entries will be displayed 
			outside along Route 66 in downtown Atlanta from May 1 to Aug. 31, 
			2013. The board of directors of the Atlanta Betterment Fund will select 
			10 shields out of the 50 entries as finalists. Shields selected as 
			finalists will be judged on originality of design, overall concept 
			and quality of execution. Voting will then take place May 1-Aug. 31 to select the top five 
			shield designs as winners of the 2012 project. Anyone, anywhere may 
			vote, either in person at selected Route 66 attractions in Atlanta 
			or online via Atlanta's website at
			www.atlantaillinois.org. 
			The top five vote-getters will be the winners of the year's Rt. 66 
			Reinterpreted project. At the conclusion of the project, the five winning shields, along 
			with the names of the artists who created them, will be displayed on 
			a permanent basis in the Atlanta Route 66 Park. Entries selected as 
			one of the top five winning designs will also be showcased at the 
			International Mother Road Festival in Springfield Sept. 27-29, 2013. Artists wishing to enter the Rt. 66 Reinterpreted Art Project 
			must submit a completed application form, along with a $25 entry 
			fee. Completed applications are due on or before Feb. 1. 
			Applications received after Feb. 1 will not be accepted. Completed Rt. 66 Reinterpreted shields should be carefully 
			packaged and returned to: The Atlanta Betterment Fund, 114 SW Arch 
			St., Atlanta, IL 61723. Shields should be submitted between March 1 
			and April 5, 2013. Shields received after April 5 will not be 
			accepted.  The Atlanta Betterment Fund sponsors the Rt. 66 Reinterpreted Art 
			Project. All decisions regarding judging are final. Entries selected as 
			finalists will be notified by April 30, 2013. Entries selected as 
			one of the top five winning designs will be notified by Sept. 1, 
			2013.  Click on the "Route 66 Art Project" 
			logo at
			
			www.atlantaillinois.org for more information, including project 
			guidelines and an application form to enter the Rt. 66 Reinterpreted 
			Art Project. Or contact: William ThomasAtlanta Betterment Fund
 114 SW Arch St.
 Atlanta, IL 61723
 
			wthomas@teleologic.net
			 217-648-5077 
 |